Late Night Talking

A Novel

Leslie Schnur

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2007
• Print ISBN: 9780743288255
• eBook ISBN: 9781416538790
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Women in Fiction
• Index: Literature

From the acclaimed author of The Dog Walker comes Late Night Talking, a tender and funny novel about bad behavior, the fragility of friendship and family, and how we cannot choose whom we love. Jeannie Sterling, host of a late-night NYC talk show, vents with her listeners about everyday injustices, from rude cell phone users and poor gym etiquette to bad drivers and negligent pet owners -- the many aggravations of modern urban life. An idealistic California girl raised by two free-spirited parents, Jeannie believes in a life of value through activism. She's passionate about making a difference, about making the world a better place, one annoying person at a time. For as long as she can remember, success in her career has been more than enough. But after all these years of being single, Jeannie realizes that some of the pieces of her perfect puzzle aren't fitting quite right. The people she thought she knew best all harbor secrets, secrets Jeannie isn't prepared for, secrets that can't be digested, processed, and solved in the neat three-hour window of her show. Her best friend, Luce, is growing distant and distracted; her wayward father unexpectedly moves in; and an ambiguous relationship with her college crush ignites. When the radio station is bought by the maverick mogul Nicholas Moss, Jeannie's career, her one safe haven, also descends into chaos. She is pushed to increase ratings and goes too far, risking the loss of everything and everyone important to her. Delightfully real and deliciously flawed, Jeannie Sterling is a character we can't help but root for as she faces her life's most hilarious -- and heartbreaking -- challenges.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Also by Leslie Schnur
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Morning Walk
• There’s No Place Like Home
• Better Late Than Never
• Turkey in a Hummer
• Devil in a Black Tux
• Troll in a Pink Tutu
• The Boss’s Boss’s Boss’s New Boss
• Her Boyfriend’s Back and She’s Gonna Be in Trouble
• Egg Sandwich, Hold the Ketchup
• Music of the Heart
• Twelve Items or Less—or Else
• The Setup
• The Shakedown
• Quick-Change Artist
• The House on Allston Way
• A Date with Destiny
• Between Friends
• Someone to Watch Over Her
• Mouse Trapped
• Normal World vs. Gym World
• Dysfunctional Family Values
• Goodbye, Hello
• Grand Theft Taxi
• Love Me, Love My Husband’s Butt Crack
• Stranger in a Strange Land
• Full Frontal
• Satan’s Spawn
• Taking It Up a Notch
• Shrink to the Stars
• And So It Begins
• Call from Abroad
• Caught Ya!
• Power Breakfast
• Breakfast at Bubby’s
• The Sometime Dad
• Parting Sky
• Debts and Threats
• The Plan
• The Deal
• Ethics 101
• Chinese Staircase
• Love, Sex, and the Public Library
• Money and Mint Chip
• It’s a Bird. It’s a Plane—No, It’s Sterling Behaviorwoman
• Bitten in the Ass by Dr. Bite Me
• Fessing Up
• House of Love
• Clean Hands, Warm Heart
• So-Called Best Friends
• California Girl
• Cast of Thousands
• Call from the Coast
• Parental Disapproval
• A Person Could Get Hurt
• Wish Robber
• Hypocritical Oath
• Late Night Swimming
• Gimme a V for Vigilante
• Nightmare on the LIE
• Over and Out
• Tommy, Can You Feel Me?
• Unconditional Love
• Not One Stunning Stewardess Bitch in Sight
• Luce to the Rescue
• Finally, Words Spoken
• A Gift
• Lou’s Home
• Touching Heaven
• Evening News
• Acknowledgments